AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY - The Lady that keeps on Giving - Ms. Henretta Lacks, HeLa Cell

(August 1, 1920 – October 4, 1951

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY - The contributions of African Americans are to be constantly shared for HISTORIC DOCUMENTATION, repudiating false-truths and stereotypes; as well as for Milwaukee Professionals Association to forge the Mission of re-defining, re-branding and un-trapping Milwaukeeans and like-people around the globe.

Last year, WE, the world, recorded 7 billion people.

I wonder how many are here because of Ms. Henretta Lack - The HeLa cell line.

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The HeLa cell came from an African American woman by the name of Loretta Pleasant in Roanoke, Virgina. Her nickname was Hennie.

She was married to David Lacks and they had six children.

Her occupation: Tobacco Farmer

Hennie died at the age of 31 years old due to cervical cancer.

Racism, wrongful act
Unfortunately Mrs. Lacks did not get the best consideration in health care. She was a patient at John Hopkins - the only hospital in the vicinity that serviced African American. On ene of the many "barriers" that some of our present leaders choose to forget OR hope we, the People will forget. Not so.

From Wikipedia
The cells from Henrietta's tumor were given to researcher George Gey (without her knowledge), who "discovered that [Henrietta's] cells did something they'd never seen before: They could be kept alive and grow."[13] Before Henrietta, cells cultured from other patients would only survive for a few days. Scientists spent more time trying to keep the cells alive than performing actual research on the cells. Some cells in Lacks's tissue sample behaved differently than others. George Gey was able to isolate one specific cell, multiply it, and start a cell line. Gey named the sample "HeLa", after the initial letters of Henrietta Lacks' name, to protect her identity. As the first human cells grown in a lab that were "immortal" (did not die after a few cell divisions), they could then be used for conducting many experiments. This represented an enormous boon (blessing) to medical and biological research.

As reporter Michael Rogers stated, the growth of HeLa by a researcher at the hospital helped answer the demands of the 10,000 who marched for a cure to polio shortly before Lacks' death.

By 1954, the HeLa strain of cells was being used by Jonas Salk to develop a vaccine for polio. To test Salk's new vaccine, the cells were quickly put into mass production in the first-ever cell production factory.

Demand for the HeLa cells quickly grew. Since they were put into mass production, Henrietta's cells have been mailed to scientists around the globe for "research into cancer, AIDS, the effects of radiation and toxic substances, gene mapping, and countless other scientific pursuits".

HeLa cells have been used to test human sensitivity to tape, glue, cosmetics, and many other products. Scientists have grown some 20 tons of her cells.

Doctors still have not discovered the reason for HeLa cells' unique vigor, but suspect that it is due to altered telomerase function. There are almost 11,000 patents involving HeLa cells.

In the early 1970s, the family started getting calls from researchers who wanted blood samples from them to learn the family's genetics (eye colours, hair colours, and genetic connections).

The family wondered why and this is when they learned about the removal of Henrietta's cells. No one else in the family had the traits that made her cells unique.
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A unique and one-of-a-kind woman, immortal cell that keeps on giving today, 2012; she died in 1951. Another African American denied health care and was exploitated - Still she rise.
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There is a book by Rebecca Skloot called: The Immortal Life of Henretta Lacks. In addition to telling the story, there is The Henretta Lacks Foundation that benefits from sells. CLICK to view.

Milwaukee Professionals Association is honored to remind us all.